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PARK CITY — The 2017 Sundance Film Festival came to a close Sunday, ending the busiest week of my film-going life.

I will start off by stating that 2017 is the very first year I have ever gone to a Sundance movie. Let me tell you it was much more difficult than I could have ever imagined. My week was plagued with strange misfortunes, bad luck and unforeseen acts of Mother Nature which prevented me from seeing several movies.

While I wish I had been able to see more movies and that my list of Sundance films was exhaustive, here are four that were worth seeing.

Animation Shorts

I am always a huge fan of animation and always have my mind open to experimental animation. Every year, I look forward to the Academy Award nominee list of animated shorts so naturally I jumped at the chance to see this year's Sundance offerings.

There were 10 animated short films in this category that ranged from adorably funny to deeply moving and thought-provoking, and there was a lot of ground covered in-between. My two favorite had to deal with an island summer camp for animals called “Summer Camp Island,” and a beautifully hand-painted film called “Nutag - Homeland” about the mass deportations of the Kalmyk people during WWII.

Nutag-Homeland (2016) Trailer from Alisi Telengut on Vimeo.

“Summer Camp Island” is a hilarious look at two animals named Oscar and Hedgehog who try to fight off homesickness as they begin their first days of summer camp. This cartoon was crazy and hilarious and it also had a very familiar feel to it.

After doing some homework, I found out that it was made by a woman named Julia Pott, a contributor to the Cartoon Network “Adventure Time” series. The big news here is “Summer Camp Island” was picked up by Cartoon Network and is now something you can look forward to seeing sometime soon. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

“Sidney Hall”

This was the first actual movie at the festival that involved humans and a story line. Sidney Hall is a talented, yet tormented writer played by Logan Lerman. The story follows his life from the end of high school through his 20s and into his 30th year.

I don’t know if it was because this was the first real full-length Sundance Film I have ever seen or if it was really just that good, but I loved this film and thought the acting was fantastic by Lerman and co-star Elle Fanning.

What really stood out to me was the writing and editing of the film. There were so many loose strings to follow throughout this film that it had the potential to come apart very easily, but the writing and editing held it all together perfectly until the last 20 minutes of the film when every question asked at the beginning of the film is finally answered.

“Patty Cake$”

This movie was not high on my list to see at first since the only exposure I had to any of these films was a single picture and a small description of the movie in the film guide handed out at the festival. My interest in this film piqued as I started hearing people talk about it in lines that I was vainly standing in hoping to get into other films.

Once I heard this movie got picked up by a major studio, I decided I must see it at all costs. It wasn’t easy, and after several failed attempts, I managed to get in on the waitlist.

Patty Cake$ is a comedy with a lot of heart about a young woman from New Jersey who wants desperately to become a famous rap star, but the odds are stacked against her for so many reasons. The story follows her and her group of unlikely bandmates (including her grandmother in a wheelchair) as they push through all of the obstacles that stand in their way of getting to perform their music.

What blew me away about the this film was how authentic the acting was by the main character played by Danielle MacDonald. MacDonald looked and acted like she was born to play this role and the dedication it must have taken her to learn her lines and perform all of her raps cannot be fathomed by me. So much of the credit of this film goes to writer and directory Geremy Jasper, who not only wrote and directed the film, but also provided all of the music.

There was a great surprise after the end of the film when the cast came out for a Q and A session at the end. Somebody asked McDonald a question and she answered in her native Australian accent. If you see this movie, you will understand why the audience gasped and laughed to learn she was from Australia.

“A Ghost Story”

This was the one film that I wanted to see since the beginning of the festival, but was thwarted at every step until the very last showing on Saturday. I was finally able to get in as one of the very last people on the waitlist given admission.

My biggest reason for wanting to see this film is because it starrs Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara— two people who are both in Academy Award nominated films this year.

“A Ghost Story” Is pretty much what it sounds like— a ghost story. The movie follows Affleck and his wife Mara after they move into a house that neither of them seem happy to be in together. Shortly after, Affleck is killed in a car accident, only to later return to the house as a ghost who proceeds to haunt it dressed in a white sheet with cut out eye holes and all.

I am aware how much this sounds like a setup for a comedy, but “A Ghost Story” couldn't be further from a comedy if it had tried. This film was also not scary in anyway. It was deep and thought-provoking and I still haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it.

Each protracted shot that went on longer than was comfortable held your attention rapt for the smallest of movements by anyone in the scene. There is a particularly interesting scene where we watch Mara eat an entire pie bite by bite while the ghost of her husband stands in the doorway watching her. This scene lasted for about 8 minutes (an eternity in movie time,) yet managed to be sad and beautiful the entire time.

The film moved very slowly and 90 percent of Affleck's appearances in this film were from beneath the sheet he was wearing. The movie is about loss and longing for the things we leave behind and the questions we may ask after we’ve gone. The premise of the movie is that time and longing are eternal.

“A Ghost Story” is definitely an art film and must be watched as such, but with the right attitude and an eye for the beauty, it generates into an amazing and meaningful film.

Conclusion

Though I didn’t see a fifth of the movies I wanted to, I was still overwhelmed by the quality and content of the movies I did see. If you haven’t been to the Sundance Film Festival, I highly recommend it. In the meantime, keep an eye out for these four movies.